Katie Haller, Author at Thrifty Wife Happy Life

Mom-Friendly Fashion

May 7, 2018 by Katie Haller

Today I want to talk to you about something that is now a big part of my life. It’s called “mom-friendly fashion”. Before I became a mom, I got dressed every morning without worrying about the little things. I just put together a cute look that I felt good in and went on my way. Now that I’m a mom there is so much to think about when getting dressed in the morning. Is my shirt high enough that my toddler will not expose me to the world today? Is my purse big enough to fit all the snacks we need to get through our afternoon outing? Are my shoes comfortable enough to climb up the climber at the playground and go down the slide in? There is just so much to think about when putting together your outfits as a mom. My husband always makes fun of the fact that I wear my spanks from my high school cheerleading uniform under my dresses. I just feel more comfortable knowing that everything is covered up when it needs to be.

Us moms are not only concerned about exposing ourselves, but we also need to make sure that our clothes help us feel better about our bodies. I’m not complaining. I didn’t struggle with a lot of weight gain during my pregnancy, but that doesn’t mean that I’m not insecure with parts of my body. I know what areas need some work and I do my best to hide them with the clothes I wear. Simple tricks like tucking in your shirts or wearing a flattering fit of jeans can do wonders for your mom-bod.

One of my favorite places to find mom-friendly fashion is always PinkBlush. I’m a style ambassador for them and I share their clothes all the time because I think that their styles are perfect for the everyday mom. They are stylish, practical and all their clothes know the perfect way to hide your “mom body” imperfections. This charcoal grey floral colorblock stripe sleeve top caught my eye when I saw it online and it did not disappoint me when I tried it on. This top has the perfect length, so you can also style it with leggings if you like. I wore it with a pair of distressed jeans that I love and a simple pair of sandals. A t-shirt like this is perfect for my everyday mom activities.

*This post is part of a collaboration with PinkBlush. All opinions are 100% my own.

I honestly think that having a baby has only made me feel more confident in the clothes I wear. I know I’m not 21 anymore, but I personally think that I dress better now than I did in my 20’s. I have so much fun finding new ways to wear my clothes and I hope that I can inspire all of you with my “mom-friendly fashion”.

In honor of Mother’s Day this weekend, me and some of my fellow mom bloggers have joined up to share our Mother’s day posts. Feel free to click around the links below and find out what other moms are talking about this Mother’s Day week!

Justine @ Little Dove Blog // @littledove.justine

Jenise @ A Toddler & A Topknot // @atoddlerandatopknot

Sierra @ Beautifully Candid //@beautifully_candid

Bethany @ Waves & Lilacs //@wavesandlilacs

Mary Leigh @ Live Well Play Together //@livewellplaytogether

Whitney @ Work It Mommy // @thefamilysmith5

Shani @ Sunshine & Munchkins // @sunshineandmunchkins

Katie @ Thrifty Wife Happy Life // @thriftywifehappylife
Tamara @ Tamara Bratton Blog //@tamaraleebratton

The Gift of Me-Time for Mother’s Day

May 3, 2018 by Katie Haller

Ever since I became a mom, my life has been dedicated to taking care of my little boy. I’m always thinking about him and what he might need next. I have this never-ending list of things I need to do in my head to make sure he is well taken care of and our home is running smoothly. No matter how hard I try, I still manage to forget something. From the time I wake up, until the time I go to sleep, my mind is on my family.

The truth is, I didn’t really think about the amount of time I would spend focusing all my energy on another human. Don’t get me wrong, I honestly love taking care of my little guy. I love being a mom. I can’t imagine what my life would be like without him. But I do miss the amount of time I used to have to myself. It makes me understand and appreciate my own mom more. There was a reason she would hide out in the bathroom away from us kids. She just wanted a little alone time.

*This post is part of a collaboration with Smile Brilliant. All opinions are 100% my own.

This year for Mother’s Day, I think all of us moms should give ourselves a little bit of me-time. I did a poll last week on my Instastories and I wasn’t surprised by the results. From what people told me, the majority of us mom don’t take the extra time on ourselves that we should. When I became a mom, I made a promise to myself that I wasn’t going to lose myself in motherhood. I wanted to still do the things that I enjoyed and still put myself together every day because that’s important to me. It makes me feel good to put together a cute outfit, do my hair and wear makeup. I still fall behind in a few things. I don’t work out the way I would like to, I only get to the salon every 6 months and my nails might have nail polish on them, but they only look good maybe 2 days out of the week.

One thing that I’ve been trying to do more often is to take care of my smile. Last summer I did a review on the professional at-home teeth whitening system, Smile Brilliant (Check out my post HERE!). I was really pleased with my results and it felt good to set aside a little bit of me-time. (Check out my results below!) Since then, I’ve been trying to keep up on whiting my teeth here and there. I think it’s really important to just take a little bit of extra time on yourself when you can. Teeth whitening is an easy way that you can do that. I like to whiten my teeth while my little guy is in the bathtub. He’s entertained with his bath toys and I can still be there if he needs me, but I also pay a little attention to myself.

I’m so excited, because Smile Brilliant wants to share one of their teeth whitening kits with one of my readers. They are giving away a $149 credit to cover the cost of your own professional at home teeth whitening system. Go HERE to enter! You can also use my coupon code thriftywifehappylife20 for $20 off! You don’t have to be a mom to enjoy some me-time with some teeth whiting, so make sure you enter!! The winner will be informed by e-mail!

Simple Spring Outfit

April 24, 2018 by Katie Haller

Hey guy! For today’s post, I’m going to make this simple and short. There is nothing I love more in the spring than a cute sundress and a denim jacket. I found this Target dress a few months ago at Goodwill and I could not wait for the weather to warm up so I could wear it. I recently wore this look on Easter. A simple sundress like this is such a great item to find at a thrift store. They always have a great selection of dresses like this, plus a dress like this doesn’t really go out of style. I paired it with my thrifted Old Navy denim jacket and an old pair of cork wedges. I feel like you can never go wrong with a combo like this. For similar options, be sure you check out the links below.

*This post contains affiliate links, which means by clicking on them and/or making a purchase through them, I will make a small commission. Thank you for your support.

Shop Similar Looks

Project Remade with ThredUp

April 19, 2018 by Katie Haller

It’s no secret that I love to thrift shop. I save so much money on my wardrobe by buying my clothes at second-hand stores. I am the kind of person who can’t enjoy my clothes unless I know that I got a great deal on them. Besides saving me money, I also really love the idea of recycling my wardrobe. I don’t think that most people realize just how much pollution the fashion industry produces. It’s the second most polluting industry next to petroleum. When I shop second hand, I’m not only helping my bank account, but I’m also making a small step to help preserve our planet for the future.

*This post is part of a collaboration with ThredUP. As always all opinions are 100% my own.

In honor of Earth Day, I’ve teamed up with my favorite online thrift store, ThredUP, to help promote their campaign, Project Remade. ThredUP has selected 12 artists to respond to the statement “Climate Change is Not Real”. Their reactions were printed onto second-hand T-shirts and are currently up for sale at ThredUp HERE! All proceeds are going towards the environmental non-profit organization Cool Effects. I have picked a few of my favorite designs to share below.

I’m definitely not perfect when it comes to living green, but I feel like if we all make small changes in our lives, we can do our part to preserve our planet for future generations. If you want to learn more about sustainable fashion you can check out the Top 20 Eco-Blogger You Should Be Following.

Happy Earth Day everyone!

Gingham and White Pants

April 13, 2018 by Katie Haller

Spring is definitely in the air in Las Vegas. The flowers are blooming, trees are getting green and we’ve even hit 90 degrees already. Minus the seasonal allergies that we’ve all been suffering with, spring is one of my favorite seasons here in Las Vegas. Today I wanted to share one of my favorite looks for spring.

*This post contains affiliate links which means by clicking on and/or making a purchase through a link will result in a commission for this blog at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support!

It’s no secret that I love gingham! When spring rolls around, I always pull out my gingham button-down and pair it with my white jeans. The white just really makes the pattern pop. For this look below, I knotted my shirt. I’ve been knotting all my shirts lately. I accessorized with my cognac purse and peep-toe booties. I love peep-toe booties! I think that they are the perfect shoe to transition into the warmer weather. I’ve had this gingham shirt in my closet for a few years now, same with the pants. They were both Target clearance finds (similar options HERE and HERE). My purse is from Last Call Neiman Marcus (similar HERE) and the shoes are from Target (similar HERE), but they were a ThredUp find.

Gingham button down top with white jeans

Jewelry is from Rocksbox. Click HERE and use my code thriftywifehappylifexoxo for a free month of Rocksbox.

What are your favorite looks for spring?

Affordable Fashion with Simple Addiction

April 11, 2018 by Katie Haller

I love the idea of shopping at small local boutiques, but I’m usually turned off by the prices at most boutiques. It’s not easy to find a small shop that sells affordable and fashionable clothes. I recently discovered Simple Addiction, which is a small online boutique out of Utah. I immediately fell in love with this store. They have inexpensive prices with fashionable boutique items.

*This post is part of a collaboration with Simple Addiction. Although I was gifted these clothes, all my opinions are 100%.

While browsing through their site, I found cozy loungewear, a wide variety of leggings, trendy tops, and dresses, affordable jeans, and even fun accessories. One thing that stood out to me at Simple Addiction was that they offered an outfit in a box. You can buy an already put together outfit that includes 3-4 pieces to complete your look at a valued price. I will talk more about the outfit in a box later, but first, let’s talk leggings.

I love leggings, who doesn’t? A good pair of black solid leggings are a necessity. When I buy leggings, I look for soft, comfortable leggings that are made well. I never like to pay more than $10 for leggings. These black solid leggings from Simple Addiction are pretty much everything I look for in a pair of leggings. They feel like I’m wearing a $30 pair of leggings, but these are only $8!! They’re probably the softest leggings I’ve ever worn and the material is very strong. I don’t have to worry about them being see-through or anything. My usual Saturday outfit includes a pair of solid black leggings with a comfortable t-shirt or tunic and either a denim jacket or cardigan layered over it, just like the look below.

Black solid leggings from Simple Addiction

Next up, I want to talk about the Outfit in a Box from Simple Addiction. I realize that not everyone out there enjoys putting together outfits the same way that I do. Simple Addiction makes it easy for their costumers to dress by offering them already put together outfits at a valued price. As I said earlier in the post, the outfit in a box comes with 3-4 pieces; A bottom, top, and a necklace. Some outfits come with some sort of layering piece. The price varies depending on what the outfit includes. I picked out the Nicole Outfit in a Box. It was only $30. I was a little nervous to try out floral leggings, because I’m not big on prints on the bottom, but I am really loving these black and white floral leggings. I feel like the leggings really make a statement with this simple knotted green top. To complete this look, the outfit came with a silver scattered spike necklace. If you wanted, you could even add a denim jacket to this look or a neutral-colored cardigan to add as a layering piece.

If you love leggings or you’re just looking for a great shop with comfortable mom-friendly clothes, I highly recommended checking out Simple Addition. You can use the code THRIFTYWIFE for 10% off your entire purchase. I know that I will be back soon!

Happy Shopping!!